Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 12, 2025

The Origins and Evolution of the Jifu System in the Pre-Qin Period

(Abstract)

Zhao Qingmiao

In the jifu (畿服) system, the original meaning of fu is “service,” which extends to the notion of duty and tribute and eventually develops into a term for political regions. Building on the pattern of inner-outer domain administration in the Shang and Zhou periods, the wufu (五服, five domains) described in the Guoyu (Discourses of the States) constitute a hierarchical domain system formed by gradually adding and systematizing historical realities. When different fu were divided,their own duty and tribute were taken as the main basis, supplemented by their spatial differentiation. The design of the system reflects the unbalanced political-geographic structure of the Western Zhou, and this structural imbalance profoundly impacted the rise and fall of the dynasty. The wufu in Yugong (The Tribute of Yu) and the jiufu (九服, nine zones) in Zhouli (The Rites of Zhou) are grounded in different literatures and historical contexts, and their respective hierarchical arrangements, in turn, reflect distinct historical facts and patterns of human-geographical thinking. Nonetheless, both systems conceive the realm as concentric rings of equal distance. These archetypal models reflect the concept that the Huaxia people should dwell in the center, while the Yi people live at the periphery. They served as important textual and intellectual references for political practices in later ages. The jifu system thus underwent a cyclical evolution: it was abstracted from historical realities, reshaped at the level of normative ideals, and then reabsorbed into concrete political practice. This process offers a vivid illustration of the remarkable continuity of Chinese civilization.